Genre: 2D RPG

Role: Game Design, Programming

Team Size: 5

Engine: Unity

Timeframe: 1 Week

Overview

Mutant Malfunction was a week long game jam team project, a tower defense game developed in Unity where players defend a research lab from waves of mutated creatures. I collaborated with a small team, contributing systems implementation, UI design, and narrative framing.

My Contributions

Opening Cutscene and Narrative Setup

I implemented the game's opening cutscene and wrote the initial dialogue, expanding on a world concept proposed by teammates. My goal was to establish narrative tone and setting quickly, giving players context for the gameplay and giving the team a clear foundation for visual and audio design.

UI Implementation & Tooltip Systems

I scripted interactive UI elements including:

• Tooltip systems for towers, allowing players to see descriptions/stats
• Volume control and main menu functionality
• A functional pause menu with adjustable settings

This work helped improve player clarity, especially during early waves, and allowed for quick tuning during playtesting.

Tower Balancing

I handled numerical balance for the tower economy, tuning:

• Tower damage and range to differentiate roles
• Upgrade and purchase costs to maintain difficulty pacing
• Enemy health scaling in relation to player power curve

I used feedback from team playtests to adjust values, ensuring no dominant strategy emerged and that weaker towers still had niche use.

Challenges

Working across multiple time zones made coordination difficult at times, but I collaborated closely with our project lead and other designers to maintain clarity and meet our scope goals within the week. Quick iteration and feedback cycles helped the team stay aligned.